front three-pointed emblem broken and repaired

[watson2]

Hi guys. I thought to improve the look of some of the front chromed parts.
With surprise I saw that the points of the star seemed to be glued to the round frieze (see the lower left point)
I never noticed this detail before and the glue had worked hard because vibrations, car wash  etc
did not separate the pieces.

This detail is made with Zamak , probably, and I was not able to find someone that could weld it.
Even the laser welding did not work on Zamak , although this type of welding does wonderful things
on many type of metal ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b5Xi1LfeJdw  ) and it's a delicate and precise method
even without filler material.

At last I found ingegnous people that were able to repair it with a brilliant solution that they didn't explain.
I saved the original Star of the car and , not insignificant, I saved at least 750 Euro.
Here I post the initial situation , the final result and a close detail.


 

[kampala]

Watson,

Thanks for the details.  I agree, that these stars can be repaired by someone who knows how to do it.  I was told it was not possible by several chrome shops.  but once the right guy saw it he was able to fix it.    See attached photos.   You will see the broken tip and grill damage.   The repaired photo is not a good photo but it looks pretty decent in person.   

[Tyler S]

White metal, zinc cast, or "pot" metal needs to be brazed or soldered using the correct filler material. There are a few different types depending on the application. Here is one source for filler rod that can be used but there is more out there.
https://youtube.com/watch?v=jwLuV00Psu0

[dirkbalter]

kampala,
I red your response with interest. My star is broken in exactly in the same area as yours. I guess that's the common stress area. How exactly did your guy fix it? Or, can he be contacted?
Thank you,
Dirk   

[kampala]

Dirk,

PM sent.

[dirkbalter]

Thanks